We completed Cohort #5 on November 13, 2023
The topic for Cohort #5 was “Providing the US Social Safety Net (health, food, housing).
Posted Updates
Summary and Slides (from Rick Frazier):
- Session 1 on September 18, 2023
- Session 2 on October 2, 2023
- Session 3 on October 9, 2023
- Session 4 on October 23, 2023
- Session 5 on November 6, 2023
- Session 6 on November 13, 2023
Several Articles, Links, and Videos – Latest Posting on November 6 (from multiple participants)
Greetings Building Bridges Group Participants!
This website will be your “go to” site for all content shared during our current Building Bridges group meetings. Additionally, we will supplement our session materials with curated content from complimentary sources for your optional reading, viewing and review.
Thank You!
Arlene Samuel, Terry McManus, and Rick Frazier
For information, questions, or comments – please email BuildingBridgesPH@gmail.com
Click for a look at the promotion materials for the latest Cohort:
Jump to Sections (Table of Contents)
SESSION RECAPS FOR THE CURRENT COHORT #5
Session 1 – September 18, 2023
Session 1 Handouts and Slides
Session 1 Summary
At our first session we covered the following (refer to above file):
Introductions – Each participant introduced themselves – name, neighborhood, hometown, why they joined
Introduction of the Group – Why do the group? How might participants benefit?
Partisan Divide Discussion – Shared Overview of the Divide Problem. Are we really that divided? Are divide trends getting worse? Pew Research and other studies data. The three flavors of Polarization Ideology, Affective, and False. The group shared their experiences and impressions.
Issue Discussion – Introduced “Providing a US Social Safety Net (Health, Housing, and Food)”. Discussed the scope of our discussions on the topic.
Principles and Methods – Reviewed the notion of full “Story” versus “just the Proposed Solution”. Shared and discussed the five major Principles to govern our conversations:
- Increase self awareness
- Be open minded
- Prioritize relationships over ideas
- Seek to understand with depth
- Take winning off the table
Preparations for the October 2 Session – Started the following six suggestions for the next session:
- Prepare your brief Values and Beliefs statement
- Prepare your Concerns and Vision of the Desired Outcomes (Note – we will NOT YET talk about Proposed Solutions/Paths to Take (session 3))
- Search for supportive research and articles and videos that you would like to share with others in our cohort
- Send links, pdfs, etc to BuildingBridgesPH@gmail.com for posting to BuildingBridgesPH.com for all to see. Please limit to the 1-5 best ones.
- Review content posted to the site (Both US Safety Net Section and Partisan Divide Section)
- Plan and Prepare to briefly share items 1&2 at for October 2 session
Session 2 Preparation Instructions
Relevant to our selected issue, please prepare and be ready to briefly share and discuss your
- Values and Beliefs statement
- Concerns for the Current Situation
- Initial Vision of the Desired Outcomes
- (Note – we will NOT YET talk about Proposed Solutions/Paths to Take (session 3))
Regarding our information website, please
- Search for supportive research and articles and videos that you would like to share with others in our cohort
- Send links, pdfs, etc to BuildingBridgesPH@gmail.com for posting to BuildingBridgesPH.com for all to see. Please limit to your 1-5 best ones.
- Review content posted to the site (both the US Safety Net Section and Partisan Divide Section)
Session 2 – October 2, 2023
Session 2 Handouts and Slides
Session 2 Summary
At our second session we covered the following (refer to above file):
Shared a Brief Recap of Session 1
Introduced the Fishbowl Exercise – see slides 8-11
Fishbowl Discussion Methods – Terry McManus and Rick Frazier illustrated a typical exchange per the Fishbowl methods
We split the room into two teams and conducted two back-to-back Fishbowls per the instructions. Each and every person had the opportunity to share:
- Values and Beliefs statement with stories and examples
- Concerns for the Current Situation
- Initial Vision of the Desired Outcomes
We then had a brief opportunity to Share & Summarize Learnings from the Fishbowls
- Did you all feel heard?
- What did you learn
- Any process observations?
- What did you learn from your preparation and sharing?
We discussed preparations for Session 3 on Monday October 9
Session 3 – October 9, 2023
Session 3 – Handouts and Slides
Session 3 Summary
At our third session we covered the following (refer to above file):
Shared a Brief Recap of Session 1 and Session 2
Methods and Illustration of Small Group Discussions
Small Group Discussions focused on Proposed Solutions / Paths – We split the room four Small Groups of three persons each. Each and every person had the opportunity to share their main Proposed Solution / Paths
Full Group Discussion on the best Proposed Solutions / Paths – Each Small Group will share their best Proposed Solution / Paths with the full group, followed by a Q&A session, per our principles
We then had a brief opportunity to Share & Summarize Learnings from the Fishbowls
- Did you all feel heard?
- Did you learn much?
We discussed preparations for Session 4 on Monday October 23
Session 4 – October 23, 2023
Session 4 – Handouts and Slides
Session 4 Summary
At our fourth session we covered the following (refer to above file):
Shared a Brief Recap of Session 1 and Session 2 and Session 3
Brief Methods and Illustration of a Caucus Discussion
We met as a single Caucus, with every participant given approximately 6 minutes to share their summary Story including the following elements, with time emphasis on their Proposed Solutions:
- Values and Beliefs
- Concerns
- Vision and Desired Outcomes
- Proposed Solutions and Paths Taken
The full Caucus then discussed and surveyed proposed solution paths with full support of every participant. Some were identified and will be documented in a handout prior to the next session.
We discussed preparations for Session 5 on Monday November 6
Session 5 – November 6, 2023
Session 5 – Handouts and Slides
Session 5 Summary
At our fifth session we covered the following (refer to above file):
Shared a quick review of our over objectives
Shared a Brief Recap of Session 4 – Caucus 1
Brief Methods and Illustration of a Caucus Discussion
We met as a single Caucus, with every participant who missed Caucus I provided approximately 6 minutes to share their summary Story including the following elements, with time emphasis on their Proposed Solutions:
- Values and Beliefs
- Concerns
- Vision and Desired Outcomes
- Proposed Solutions and Paths Taken
Using 3 flipcharts we assembled inputs. The full Caucus then discussed and surveyed proposed solution paths with full support of every participant or some support. These will be documented in a handout prior to the next session and sent out in a survey via Survey Monkey for our final session in 11/13.
Session 6 – November 13, 2023
Session 6 – Handouts and Slides
Session 6 Summary
At our sixth and final session we covered the following (refer to above file):
As a full group we discussed each section (Values through Solutions) and identified items with unanimous support (Common Ground), substantial support (Almost Common Ground), and other (the rest). We occasionally rewrote the item to gain support.
We will identify and summarize the results in our final compilation net week.
We discussed next steps:
(1) Potential Action steps individually, sub-teams, or organizations to volunteer. Anatol shared a summary of his proposed actions to influence government officials. Here are his materials:
letter to Plymouth Independent
(2) Finishing the work per slide 10.
We discussed our success in accomplishing our desired outcomes (session 1)
Rick shared the current thinking for Building Bridges Cohort #6 and beyond starting in January (see slide 12)
Providing a US Social Safety Net (Health, Housing, and Food) – Links, Articles, Books, Research, and Videos
Greetings All!
In support of our sessions, we use this section to post information of interest that might be of help to participants throughout ALL of our planned sessions.
Please send your found Links, Articles, Books, Research, Videos, and more to BuildingBridgesPH@gmail.com. We will post received links according to proper digital rights within 2 days. Links are in red. Please remember that some links require a personal subscriptions to the feed, and may not work (example: New York Times). Sorry.
Master List of Participant Submitted Articles, Reports, Videos, and Books on our Topic
Bridging the Partisan Divide Links, Books, Articles, and Videos
Articles and Videos
Partisan Divide Websites
| Description | URL |
| Braver Angels | www.braverangels.org video |
| National Governors Association – Disagree Better | www.nga.org/disagree-better |
| CommonSense American – Bringing Common Sense to American Politics | https://www.commonsenseamerican.org |
| National Institute for Civil Discourse | https://nicd.arizona.edu |
| Better Arguments | www.betterarguments.org video |
| Bridge Alliance | www.bridgealliance.us |
| Many Other Organizations Bridging Divides | Organization Index (click on first category) ICCTR |
News or TED Videos
| Description | URL |
| TED Talk by Monica Guzman How Curiosity Will Save Us | Video |
| Yang and Guzman How to Build Bridges in Divided Times | Video |